Battle Of The Kings

More Harley-Davidsons go under the grinder than any other make of bike. But surprisingly, The Motor Co. seldom commissions customs from big-name builders. Instead, it has developed the annual Battle of the Kings contest—where dealers customize a bike within a very strict rule set. To get a taste of how hard that is, we flew…

A sharp-looking tracker-style Harley Street Rod, a production-ready eCub from Shanghai Customs, a peek at the new Curtiss Warhawk, and the stunning new Magni Filo Rosso limited edition. We’re stretching the envelope in all directions this week.

It’s become commonplace for manufacturers to regularly commission custom work from top builders. But Harley-Davidson Europe have taken a different approach. For three years they’ve run the annual ‘Battle of the Kings’ contest—calling on their own dealers to put their best foot forward. The concept is simple: a bike is chosen, and the ‘Custom King’…

The core of the traditional custom scene has always been Harley-Davidson: their bikes have been bobbed, chopped and tracked for decades. But it’s not all flame jobs and ape bars; we’re now seeing more Milwaukee metal in the alt-moto and café racer scenes. Harley’s European arm made a big splash last year with the first…